(a) It should be noted that universities have generally reported high levels of student participation in teaching and learning, with no university reporting percentages higher than 10% for students not engaged and 4 universities reporting higher than 5% for students not engaged. Universities' teaching and learning plans included the following:
- Development and delivery of online teaching and learning materials: synchronous and asynchronous methods were utilised;
- Development of print-based teaching and learning materials, and delivery to students;
- Uploading of teaching and learning materials to USBs and delivery to students;
- Development and delivery of alternative assessment strategies; and
- Catch-up programmes as students returned to campus.
There are many students who lost funding because they exceeded the N+2 rule for various reasons. During the 2020 funding cycle, the Minister approved a concession in the application of the N+2 rule for 2020. This concession was applied as follows:
- Where students cancelled their enrolment in the first semester, the particular year will not add to the N+ calculation.
- Where students provided medical or psycho-social evidence that they had to cancel their studies, that year will not be counted.
- Students in their final year that exceeded the N+2 provisions would be funded to teach them out of the system in that year.
(b) 22 832 NSFAS funded continuing students in 2021 exceeded the N+ rule and were unfunded.